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South Carolina 31, Central Florida 14
Whatever Lorenzo Nunez does for the rest of his South Carolina career, he'll always be a part of the program's history. Rarely do true freshman quarterbacks play and it appears Nunez will quarterback the Gamecocks for the rest of the season. On Saturday, Nunez became the first true freshman to start at USC since Mikal Goodman in 1999 and the first true freshman to win his first start since the legendary Steve Tanneyhill. Nunez finished 12-of-22 and looked far from a polished passer but he got the job done and won a game he should have. He threw for 184 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while also accumulating 123 yards on the ground. UCF's offense entered the game dead last of 127 FBS programs in total offense. They stayed there after USC allowed 230 yards, a nice rebound after giving up 576 yards the week before. The Gamecocks have now shut out three of their four opponents in the second half this season.
No. 7 Georgia 48, Southern 6
Nick Chubb continued his pace at the heels of Leonard Fournette's Heisman campaign, achieving his 12th consecutive game of at least 100 rushing yards - one shy of Herschel Walker's school record. Chubb only had 31 yards in the first half but the whole team got off to a slow start in the first two periods. The ‘Dawgs poured it on the second half and Greyson Lambert earned his second consecutive game with just one incompletion. The Alabama Crimson Tide come to town this weekend and after Georgia's win over Southern, a win on Saturday would put Mark Richt solely in second-place on the program's all-time wins list behind Vince Dooley.
No. 8 LSU 34, Syracuse 24
Leonard Fournette continued to wow the country this past weekend but did it in a peculiar situation - a noon game in the Carrier Dome against Syracuse. The strange match-up actually caused a little discomfort for the Tigers as they could never pull away for good during the afternoon. Fourteen penalties for 120 yards will do that to you. Syracuse entered the game with the third ranked rush defense in the country, allowing just under 50 yards per game. However, Fournette said a career-high rushing mark for the third week in a row, rushing for 244 yards and two touchdowns. His second straight 200-yard performance makes him the first running back in LSU history to achieve such a thing.
Florida 28, Tennessee 27
When freshman wide receiver Antonio Callaway caught a perfect ball from Will Grier late in the ball game, turned towards his bench and darted down the sidelines, it produced my first scream-at-the-TV moment of the 2015 college football season. What a game. On fourth-and-14, the Gators freshman receiver takes a catch-and-run ball to the house with just 1:26 remaining in the ball game. Jim McElwain's team converted all five fourth-down attempts in the game, including three in the fourth quarter. There were lots of questionable calls, notably: Butch Jones decision not go for two and Joshua Dobbs QB keeper on third-and-6, a failed conversion that would set-up the Gators go-ahead touchdown. Grier seemed to be running for his life on every play, finishing 23-of-42 for 283 yards and two touchdowns plus an interception. Grier was 11-of-17 for 141 yards and two touchdowns in the game's final two drives though. Two phenomenal fourth quarter performances from opposing quarterbacks have now made Tennessee the only team in the country to blow two double-digit leads in the fourth quarter this season. Tennessee kicker Aaron Medley missed from 55 yards out with three seconds on the clock and Florida earned its 11th consecutive win over the Volunteers.
No. 12 Alabama 34, Louisiana-Monroe 0
Despite the 34-0 shutout, it wasn't the prettiest sight for Alabama ahead of its match-up with a top-10 Georgia team. The Tide's offense was the culprit in this one. Jake Coker was 17-of-31 for 158 yards and threw an interception for the third consecutive game. The receivers didn't help Coker as they dropped a number of balls in the first half. Derrick Henry gained just 52 yards on the ground but he has been battling an illness for most of the week, according to the Alabama coaching staff. The defense did its job obviously, shutting out the Warhawks and holding them to just 92 yards of total offense. ULM had nine yards rushing and didn't earn a first down for the first 23 minutes of the game. Best news: kicker Adam Griffith made some kicks! He was 1-of-5 entering the day and his lone make was a 20-yarder. He connected on two field goals Saturday afternoon.
No. 14 Texas A&M 28, Arkansas 21 OT
For the second consecutive year, Texas A&M has comeback to beat Arkansas in overtime at Jerry World. They erased a 21-7 deficit last season and overcame an 8-point fourth quarter hole to beat the Razorbacks this year. Kyle Allen threw for 358 yards and tossed two touchdowns to dynamic true freshman Christian Kirk, including the winning score in overtime. After two crushing and embarrassing defeats, Arkansas bounced back in a nice way against the Aggies. Brandon Allen, missing his best weapon, completed 20-of-25 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown while Alex Collins got his on the ground as usual - 151 yards and a touchdown. A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, the country's sack leader, did not have a sack until the final minute of regulation. He jarred the ball loose from Brandon Allen in the fourth quarter's final minute and forced the game into overtime. The Aggies have now won all four SEC meetings over Arkansas.
No. 3 Ole Miss 27, Vanderbilt 16
It's time to recognize Vanderbilt's defense. Head coach Derek Mason got rid of his defensive coordinator this offseason and placed himself in charge of the unit. The former Stanford mastermind has done wonders with this group. The Commodores defensive line went head-to-head with the Rebels offensive front and did not allow them to get any push for much of the game. Chad Kelly threw for 321 yards and Jaylen Walton ran for a season-high 133 but Ole Miss was held way under their average of 64 points per game - the best average in the country. While Kelly and Walton put up high yardage marks, Vanderbilt's defense is holding FBS opponents to 172 yards below their season average. Vandy's defense was phenomenal in the red zone, forcing Ole Miss into three field goal attempts inside the VU 20-yard line. The best news for Ole Miss besides the win: Laquon Treadwell looked like his old self for the first time this season - eight catches, 135 yards.
Mississippi State 17, Auburn 6
Dak Prescott has now led Mississippi State to three wins over Auburn in the last four seasons. He used his arm much more than his legs this past Saturday, tossing two touchdowns while the Bulldog defense kept Auburn's already timid offense quiet. Sean White took the reins of Guz Malzahn's system and had decent numbers, 20-of-28 passing with 219 total yards of offense. The offense as a whole did a solid 389 yards of damage. Converting third-downs was a big issue under Jeremy Johnson's lead and that didn't change under White. The Tigers converted just 4-of-14 third-down attempts. That and, the complete absence of a pass rush, continued Auburn's perplexing downfall on Saturday.
Kentucky 21, Missouri 13
Patrick Towles rose to the occasion on Saturday night against Missouri after laying an egg the week before against the Gators. Coming off the dismal and critical performance, Towles was 22-of-27 for 249 and two touchdowns. Missouri got off to a strong and fast start, scoring on their second drive and playing fanatic defense. The Tigers effectiveness periodically slowed as the game wore on. They were held to just two field goals the rest of the game and their defense, ranked top-5 nationally, allowed 369 yards. Their best overall player, LB Kentrell Brothers, was also carted off with a lower leg injury late in the game. Mizzou RB Russell Hansbrough continues to be ineffective because of an ankle injury, gaining just 11 yards on six carries in Lexington. The win ends Kentucky's 18-game losing streak against ranked teams and snaps Missouri's 11-game road winning streak, the third longest active streak in the nation until Saturday night.